The day after her visit to Ukraine, on Monday 3 April, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, reaffirmed the organisation’s full solidarity with Ukraine and insisted on the concrete measures implemented.
“The Organisation is prepared to play a leading role in the establishment of a register to record and document evidence and claims of damage, loss, or injury because of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The register is an important part of current international initiatives to set up a compensation mechanism for Russia’s crimes of aggression”, said the Secretary General.
The situation of Ukrainian children forcibly displaced to the Russian Federation was also discussed during a meeting of the Secretary General with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the preparations for the fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe, which will take place in Reykjavik on 16 and 17 May.
Both participated in a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the liberation of the Chernihiv region.
“A step towards the just goal of a free Ukraine”, the Secretary General stressed.
“The Council of Europe will continue to stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes, until this goal is achieved, and justice is done”, she added.
In discussions with the Prosecutor General and several Ukrainian ministers, she focused on the implementation of the Council of Europe’s new action plan for Ukraine, entitled “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction (2023-2026)”.
These discussions took into account Ukraine’s status as an EU candidate. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)